Here it is, the long-awaited NZ equivalent of my greatest hit singles/albums of all time list I made a while back. Just like last time, I’ll be presenting this as a countdown, meaning that each entry will be more successful than the last as we go down this list. The main difference here of course is that unlike here in Australia, there was only one chart in NZ over the years, meaning that there won’t be multiple entries from singles/albums from the late 80’s/90’s/00’s like there was on my Australian list. Also, I won’t be including entries from the RIANZ charts given how they didn’t track album sales and that they were based on popular votes rather than sales, that and there was only ever a top twenty which means there’s a good chance they were struggling to fill out the top twenty each week during its run.
#2600
This was an even bigger hit for Billy Field over in NZ, I'm not sure why this was the big hit there and not "You weren't in love with me" as this was a chart topper over there around the same time the other song was a chart topper here. All of this led to him having international appeal with his album that sadly took him nowhere.
#2599
Given how this song was released on time in NZ due to "Better man" already being a hit for Robbie Williams upon that song's initial release over there, this means that his collaboration with Nicole Kidman managed to become more of a success for him there which of course resulted in its appearance being much higher on this side of my site as well as it appearing on more than one list of mine.
#2598
This was another successful album that the Psychedelic furs managed to achieve in NZ this decade, although it wasn't quite as big as their previous album Forever now likely due to it failing to spawn that big hit that they had with "Love my way" from two years prior. This was the last time the British band troubled the charts anywhere in the world.
#2597
It makes sense that this was more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia given how the singles from the album were actual hits over there as opposed to massive bombs over here back in the day, although it's hard to say how much the kiwis loved this movie overall given how both reception to the film and its box office numbers have fallen into obscurity over the years as far as they're concerned.
#2596
These guys were on a roll this decade as they managed to achieve massive success with their fourth album following the disappointment of their third album which it turns out was a direct sequel to their second album. Their next album would struggle for popularity, mainly because it would compete with lead singer Tiki Taane's debut album who would leave the group after this album.
#2595
This live album was a massive hit for Barry Manilow at the expense of his album this year Even now, I guess we Aussies and kiwis could only allow one album at a time to be a massive hit form the crooner and decided to split the difference between both countries for him as compensation for that.
#2594
From what I can gather, Kantuta was a band from NZ who scored a massive hit with their self-titled debut album this year due to it being a blend of Latin and rock. I'm guessing if they had of broken out during the Latin craze later in the decade this would've been even bigger over there than it already was.
#2593
I guess the kiwis weren't as big a fan of the soundtrack to Top gun than the rest of the world was, I would say it was because they didn't like the film as much except even I know that's absurd given that it was one of the biggest films of the decade worldwide. No, the reason why the album underperformed over there was due to the love ballad being from Berlin which was a band who already had success over there two years prior.
#2592
I'm a bit surprised that the Ray Charles biopic wasn't more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia back int eh day, although I guess this was more of a Jamie Foxx album given how he had covered each of the tracks on this album for the film which naturally led to his academy award for his performance.
#2591
While the kiwis weren't as impressed that hell froze over to allow the Eagles to reunite for their Hell freezes over tour (I still can't believe that was how it was described in the press back then) they obviously had nostalgia for the back catalogue from the band which is why this greatest hits package was a success over there. I guess this also wasn't bigger because their last best of album was a hit a mere three years prior.
#2590
This was the second greatest hits package to become a success for Supertramp since their last successful album which as this point in NZ was from the late 70's, I guess the kiwis really did have fond memories of their heyday if they had two successful best of albums over there despite the band not releasing any new material since the first one was released.
#2589
The kiwis didn't seem to be as interested in this 25th anniversary release of one of the greatest albums of all time as we Aussies were, in fact I'm sort of cheating with this entry as according to RIANZ, this was what charted when MJ passed away as opposed to the original version so I'm combining the two chart runs onto this entries placement on this list.
#2588
I told you the popularity of these guys skyrocketed going into the 80's, here we have the album that Earth wind and fire released after the success of their greatest hits package from earlier on the list. This managed to spawn two hit singles in NZ as opposed to just the one here in Australia, and likely kept the bands popularity going around the launch of MTV which certainly wasn't the case down under.
#2587
This was equally as successful in NZ as it was here in Australia, although it did seem to come at the expense of the singles popularity as they weren't as big over there as they were here down under. That said, this was enough of a success to allow the band to have their biggest hit over there upon its initial release later in the decade rather than it only being a hit from the Crocodile Dundee films like it was throughout Europe.
#2586
Here's the other artist to benefit from Sony's Essential series this year, it turns out to be someone that Neil Diamond collaborated with as Barbra Streisand had a massive hit with the pop crooner with "You don't bring me flowers" from 1978 (which came from her own greatest hits package funnily enough.)
#2585
This seemed like a good year for some of the biggest names of the twentieth century to release one more greatest hits album to close out the old century by reminding their audiences of the good times they had in their prime, the Beach boys was just one of several legacy acts to have this thought process this year.
#2584
Well, that is one edge title to give your album (at least in the pre internet age where this is par for the course) we have this comeback album from a band previously known as the Dance exponents who scored massive success eight years prior with their debut album in the new wave scene. Here they've adapted to the earthier sounds of rock which allowed them to chart along the likes of U2 and Crowded house in their homeland.
#2583
This was a compilation album from NZ collecting some of the most well-known classical pieces for the convenience of the kiwis discovering them on one convenient album.
#2582
I'm not sure what the general consensus is in NZ with regards to Kiss during their supposed sellout period, mainly because they weren't that popular before or after this period over there which leads me to believe that they weren't into these guys outside of this specific point in their careers. It's certainly funny to me that this album is called Unmasked and yet they wouldn't unmask themselves until much later in their career.
#2581
Following the surprise success of his solo album from the previous year, Robert Cray reformed his self-titled band who went on to have a massive hit this year in NZ with this new album of theirs. It managed to spawn their only charting single which almost became a hit over there likely due to how popular they were.
#2580
This was meant to be a last hurrah for Eminem given how he had burned many bridges with his previous album Encore throughout the world, I'm guessing he released this out of contractual obligation as it wasn't really his album but rather a compilation album of some of the biggest names in hip hop with his name on it.
#2579
Much like here in Australia, this album from Ronan Keating was deliberately released around Mother's Day in order for him to capitalise off the holiday with this album, although at least it stuck around for slightly longer over there which explains its better placement on this list.
#2578
Much like here in Australia, Lenny's ambitions of being the (then) modern equivalent of Jimi Hendrix were certainly palpable to the kiwis. As such, they invested themselves in the genuine article with this greatest hits package which was as a reason as any for it to be a massive success for him.
#2577
From what I can gather, Kamahl was an Australian singer who found no success in here with this album released from the start of the decade. I'm guessing it was a hit in NZ due to him suddenly finding success internationally with some of his later material, but that doesn't explain why the kiwis gravitated towards this and not his newer catalogue.
#2576
There were no signs of T-Pain slowing down during the second half of the decade in NZ, this is interesting given how he never had a hit here in Australia until 2012 where he snuck in a hit with "Turn all the lights on" during the waning days of the club boom. In the meantime, he raps in his alter ego Teddy Verseti about getting into fights at the club which naturally amused the kiwis at the time.
#2575
This entry is to cover how well this song did before the RIANZ charts converted to a top 40 in 2004, I feel like I should mention these entries where I can on this list given how vastly different the charts were when this transition happened.
#2574
Given the huge hit he had from earlier on this list, it makes sense that J Williams would start bringing on his fellow kiwis in order to expand his fanbase which he began with Lavina Williams who is notable for competing in season four of Australian idol (despite being a NZ resident) but not making it to the finals for that year. The RNB singer would find much more notable collaborators going into the new decade.
#2573
Given how the kiwis had fully incorporated their digital data onto their main charts this year, it means we have a song that only barely made it on the Australian side of this site due to an arbitrary exception I made for popular songs on our digital charts on ARIA to make the list proper on this side of my site. Indeed, James Morrison really did make a huge splash worldwide with this debut single of his.
#2572
This was the other collaboration that the Game had with 50 cent this year; it was the first of the two collaborations they released which no doubt led to the success of their earlier entry on this list as well as the Game's own album. While they were taking the world by storm with these songs, they were fighting with each other over who was more popular in the mainstream due to both their albums being released at the same time.
#2571
This managed to be equally as successful for JT in NZ as it was here in Australia, likely because he rather conveniently released it during a difficult time that the person this was directed to was going through in their life which has left many people (me included) feeling uncomfortable with the way this song became a hit for him. Again, you really need to ignore the context of why it became a hit to find any enjoyment out of it.
#2570
Well, this is a song I definitely felt the absence for given how it manages to permeate on oldies stations in Australia to this day, at least it was a success in NZ as it was everywhere else in the world for Paula Abdul. Prior to this becoming the first of multiple Billboard chart toppers for her, Paula was an in-demand choreographer for the likes of Janet Jackson and even the king of pop himself.
#2569
Well, it appears the kiwis weren't as amused by this track from Kelis as we Aussies and her fellow Americans were this year, indeed they preferred it when they were able to take her seriously as evidence by how much better her earlier entry did over there back in the day. It's a shame she didn't have more hits in either country in the southern hemisphere given how interesting she was as an artist.
#2568
Even though these guys already had success from the previous year in NZ with their debut album, this lead single to their sophomore album wasn't any more or less successful over there than it was over here this year for the trio. In fact, the success of their second album was more or less the same in both countries in the southern hemisphere unlike their other two albums where they were much bigger over there.
#2567
It looks like Paul Hardcastle scored more than one hit after all, although this second hit was only as such for him in NZ as this was a house track from the man who scored a massive worldwide hit five years prior with "19." Tony Mac was the credited vocalist on this track given how "19" was a spoken word track about the trials and tribulations of the Vietnam war which wasn't going to fly on this track.
#2566
I guess the kiwis were a little bit more resistant to allowing Cliff Richard a second go in the mainstream going into the 80's, granted this was still a massive success for the crooner given that it appears on this site for a second time, however going through the 80's, you can tell that the kiwis love for his music was noticeably lower than our love for his catalogue.
#2565
This was sandwiched between the RNB group's two chart toppers in NZ, so it often gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to discussing their catalogue outside of their obvious hits. It could also be due to this song (which isn't a cover of the KC and the Sunshine band classic) being released before "End of the road" in their native America and also being a flop for the group on the Billboard charts.
#2564
This was the third time that the Anita Ward classic managed to be a success in NZ, or at least it was if we ignore the fact that DJ Jazzy Jeff merely sampled the chorus of the original to allow Will Smith to spit his own rhymes about him hitting on a person he has the hots for. It was a surprise success in NZ likely due to the success of "Summertime" which was their big breakthrough in their native America.
#2563
This was originally released on Lulu's 1979 album as an album track, although for some reason, her label felt there was potential for this to be released as a single which is why it was also included on her next album as the lead single. It was a massive flop everywhere in the world except for NZ where it became a surprise hit for the Scottish singer for some reason.
#2562
Unlike in Australia where I know for a fact that the original ballad from Kyu Sakamoto was a hit, I can't say I have any idea if the kiwis will be familiar with the original which means that for all I know, this could only be the second version of this song to become popular over there following the success of A taste of honey's version from the early 80's. For what it's worth, it came out slightly sooner over there despite being bigger down under.
#2561
I'm not sure why "Bizarre love triangle" was a flop for New order in NZ and their native UK, I guess the kiwis and Brits were becoming tired of their brand of alternative dance music which is likely why they felt the need to make the video for this track as bizarre as they possibly could to reinvigorate interest in their music in both countries. Needless to say, this tactic paid off for them.
#2560
There's little surprise that this was a success for New Edition in NZ this year, after all it was a bubblegum pop track from a group of young singers of colour looking to become the (then) modern equivalent of the Jackson 5. In a weird way, these guys were the world's warm up to New kids on the block given how their manager was Maurice Starr who would go on to create them as the white equivalent of these kids.
#2559
Well at least this song was a much bigger hit for Whitney Houston in NZ than it was here in Australia, although I've seen this be described as her worst song likely due to how ridiculous the chorus is on the track. I'm guessing it was only a hit at the time due to the film it was written for being much better received than Whitney's previous acting gig with the Bodyguard from earlier in the decade.
#2558
This was another RNB group who managed to score success in NZ this year despite being an American group who failed to make it big in their homeland at the time. I didn't realise how many American artists got the short end of the straw throughout the decade as the American music scene really seemed more interested in breaking arbitrary Billboard records over promoting their local talent. (see why I'm covering the NZ charts?)
#2557
It turns out this was a cover of a track from the late 70's, meaning that Heart chose to cover a song that has problematic elements in the lyrics which resulted in this being their biggest hit in most parts of the world. Like many people back in the day, I'm not affected by the lyrics and enjoy it more for the passionate vocals from the two leading ladies, although the kiwis might have been a little put off compared to us Aussies.
#2556
Most musicians of colour tended to have more success in NZ than they did in Australia, Ray Parker Jr wasn't one of them as the former Raydio lead singer didn't have nearly the level of success with his solo breakthrough over there that he did over here likely due to the kiwis finding it to be too gimmicky compared to his earlier work with his former band.
#2555
I guess the kiwis wanted to imagine Cliff Richard as their daddy this year (OK I'll stop with that) as this was a much bigger hit over there than it was here in Australia and especially "Wired for sound" which remains his biggest hit down under to this day and yet was only a mild sleeper hit for him over there.
#2554
Just a friendly reminder that these lists of mine are based on how well a song did on the charts rather than their physical sales, otherwise this song would easily be at the top of every list it qualifies for given that it's the bestselling song of all time (at least until the digital age came along.) As for why it's so low on this list, it was pulled from shelves in NZ which wasn't the case here in Australia.
#2553
Well, I guess having that circuitous route to success here in Australia was beneficial for Toni Braxton in the long run as this was far less successful for the RNB singer of colour in NZ than it was down under. It could also be due to the kiwis not wanting to hear such a sexually driven track from a woman who has a discography otherwise categorised as something that can be listened to with the likes of Celine Dion or Whitney Houston.
#2552
This was one of the few east coast hip hop tracks to make it big in NZ during Biggie Smalls lifetime, although I don't think the kiwis cared much about which side of America this came from given how it's clearly an anthem for smoking weed. There have been a few mature topics to find their way to the mainstream back in the day, although I wouldn't have thought that marijuana would be one of the more popular trends.
#2551
I guess I should now talk about the song given how I wound up bringing up that (in my opinion) hilarious court case where the boys defended themselves against lip synch allegations by putting on a live show where they proved they could all sing. This was an instant hit for the band everywhere in the world thanks to how catchy the track is as well as it being a typical boy band track with its usual troupes.
#2550
This proved to be the biggest hit from MJ's album Bad over in NZ, although the title track and its lead single were also big hits for the king of pop meaning the kiwis simply liked this love ballad to his (then) partner at the time. He would continue to score minor hits over there for the remainder of the decade including one bigger hit with "Man in the mirror."
#2549
These guys were a one hit wonder everywhere in the world with what appears to be a different track depending on where in the world you're from, in NZ and their native America, this was their big hit which is a doo wop track about a boy from New York city. In Australia and throughout Europe, their big hit was "Chanson d'amour" from 1977 which was a cover of a popular French track from the 50's.
#2548
This was the only hit for the RNB group Ghost Town DJ's, an American posse group who scored a massive hit in NZ and their native America with this track about the love of the narrator's life. I guess if this had of broken through later in the decade it would've been able to crossover here in Australia as there were plenty of these sorts of tracks to make it big as the 90's was coming to an end here.
#2547
This was the only major solo hit that Deborah Harry was able to achieve in NZ, although she did score a minor hit over there with "I want that man" given how big it was here in Australia in 1990. This has a slightly different name depending on where in the world you're from, it was simply "French kissing" in her native America and "French kissing in the USA" everywhere else in the world (I couldn't find a cover with the latter's title for this site.)
#2546
This was the third single to be released from K'lee from her one and only album, given how it dropped around the time the album came out, its success was predictable even if most of her fellow kiwis would likely only know her for her cover of the Mr. Mister track from the previous year. Sadly, the album itself was a massive flop for her, leading to her not releasing anymore music in her career.
*Apologies for the terrible quality of this album art, images of this album cover are scarce on the internet. *
#2545
This was one of several disco hits to be a success in the UK despite being a massive flop in the band's native America, although Tavares didn't have much success on Billboard this decade as all of their success came from how popular they were with the Brits back in the day. This was their only hit over in NZ, so perhaps this was the case of the Brits being over the moon for what they world considered an unremarkable band.
#2544
This proved to be an even bigger hit for Nu Shooz in NZ, in fact I think Australia was one of the only places in the world where this didn't crack the top five as this was also a massive hit in the UK and their native America. These guys did have a minor hit after this over there, however I'm sure even the kiwis would regard them as a one hit wonder given how much bigger this was over there.
#2543
This was both the last chart topper of the 90's and the first of the 00's in NZ, so you'd think it would've been even higher on this list than on the Australian equivalent, but you'd be wrong as it didn't last as long on their charts as it did on ours. That said, this was still a massive success for S Club 7 and set them up for a highly successful decade despite said success fizzling out after their second album.
#2542
Well, if you wanted to hear the origins of "Somebody dance with me" from 1993, this Austrian band has you covered as they took Abba's "SOS" and mixed it in with a bunch of production from the late 80's whilst also referencing the tender ballad from the Sound of music that they then named themselves after. Now I know why DJ Bobo didn't have a hit over there if the kiwis already had a hit like that this year.
#2541
Given how this wasn't pulled from shelves in NZ like it was here in Australia (hence its lower placement on that side of my site) it only seems fitting that it would be a bigger hit over there from two of the most popular artists of the twentieth century. Basically, this is a song about both Jacksons spilling their guts out about the lack of privacy they have in their respective lives, if only people would respect that privacy.
#2540
Well at least I can finally feature the signature track from Miami sound machine on this site, I'm not sure why this flopped here in Australia but was a success in NZ considering A: "Dr beat" was a huge hit for them the previous year and B: this is less of a novelty than that track was. Indeed, this is a straightforward party jam from Gloria Estefan and company that continues to light up dance floors to this day.
#2539
This was a bit of a comeback for Whitney Houston in NZ, namely that it was her first hit single since the 80's over there to not be affiliated with one of her films meaning she finally had a hit that was able to stand on its own and not be as such due to audiences compensating her for her acting skills (or lack thereof.) I get the feeling this was meant to be released earlier in the decade given how it was clearly meant for Bobby Brown who she had a rocky relationship with by this point.
#2538
This was the first big hit that Dire Straits had in NZ, OK so they made it big with an E.P which contains their most divisive track in their catalogue (more so than "Money for nothing") due to people being torn with how they feel about this being an homage or parody to the songs of the early to mid 60's.
#2537
There were no signs of Enrique Iglesias slowing down when entering the new decade given how this second single from his first English album he released in English managed to be a massive success over there similar to "Bailamos" from the previous year, although it's worth noting that it wasn't particularly popular in any other English-speaking country in the world.
#2536
I would've thought this greatest hits package would've done much better in NZ than it did here in Australia given how much more the kiwis loved Elton John over the years than we Aussies did, alas their love for his work at this point in time was only equal to our love of his work hence why this didn't do any better over there than it did over here.
#2535
This was the live album that Genesis released following the conclusion of their Way we walk tour, it was a huge flop in Australia likely because we Aussies were done with anything affiliated with Phil Collins, however it was a massive hit over in NZ likely because of how much the kiwis loved their (then) latest album We can't dance.
#2534
I think this was one of the earliest signs that the kiwis were ready to incorporate EDM into their mainstream given how it charted higher over there than it did over here back in the day for Robert Miles, true it wasn't quite as big there as it was here, but it was a sign of good things to come for the genre over there.
#2533
Given how they managed to have more success in NZ throughout the 80's than they did here in Australia, I would've been flabbergasted if this greatest hits package from ZZ top flopped over there this year. Even so, it didn't do nearly as well as it did down under likely because the kiwis were already familiar with the band's work.
#2532
This was way more of a success in NZ than it was here in Australia for Nirvana as was the case for their previous album, I'm guessing this was because rock music in general seemed to be more popular over there which is odd given how Nirvana were among the first bands to truly gain success due to their exposure on Triple J down under.
#2531
I guess the kiwis were more on board with Annie Lennox's solo career this decade than we Aussies were, perhaps it was due to her wacky nature she displayed in the music videos or perhaps it was simply because they felt her brand of sophistopop worked in a way that many of her earlier contemporaries didn't during the 90's.
#2530
Much like in Australia, this was the only other album that Moby found success within NZ, likely because of the derogatory shoutout that Eminem gave him at the time on "Without me" which encouraged the rappers' haters to check out what this guy had to offer to spite the rapper.
#2529
I guess the kiwis had enough nostalgia for Annie Lennox's career by this point in time that this greatest hits package from her managed to become a massive hit over there when it was a major flop for her everywhere else in the world.
#2528
It appears the kiwis were also on board with having Frank Sinatra find success with this duets album he released less than five years prior to his untimely death as we Aussies were, I guess there was a bit of a nostalgic factor to this albums success given how he hadn't found any success in either country since the 60's which coincidentally was a duet with his daughter about their (platonic) love for each other.
#2527
I get the feeling this album was meant to forever rechart during each Christmas season when it was initially released, however like every Christmas album released in the twentieth century, this wasn't the case for Cliff Richard as it wasn't even that popular in most parts of the world likely due to its mediocre critical reception.
#2526
This was another album whose success in NZ was inevitable given how Metallica had then recently joined the nostalgia circuit with their original material which made this albums success all the more exciting for longtime fans as they felt it was finally a return to form after nearly two decades of them experimenting with their sound.
#2525
I guess the kiwis allowed compilation albums to chart on their album charts back in the day, although I'm guessing these albums were given their own charts going into the 80's as there weren't any on there like there were in Australia. As the name implies, this was a collection of the biggest disco hits of the day that was originally released in the UK before finding its way over there.
#2524
Although this appears much higher on this list than their debut album (which we'll look at in a bit) it still remains less successful overall in Mi-Sex's homeland than its predecessor once again due to it being more of an immediate success as opposed to the intrigue of their debut lasting longer which in turn made its sleeper success all the stronger in the long run.
#2523
Rather than having the first two volumes of the greatest hits anthology from Queen consistently rechart throughout the decade, their label decided to bundle them together with this release which became a massive success in NZ despite it being a massive flop here in Australia upon its initial release.
#2522
This is a song I definitely remember receiving a ton of flack for back in the day, keep in mind it only barely charted here in Australia and even we Aussies were making fun of this track back in the day (thankfully this was back before this type of engagement counted towards a song's popularity.) I guess the kiwis got more ironic enjoyment out of this track which would explain its success over there.
#2521
Well, this was something different from Prince alright, namely that it was a combination of funk and RNB as well as several trends that would come to define the 90's which resulted in it being arguably his least conventional hit throughout his entire career. Honestly, I would've been stunned if this had of caught on in Australia given how off the walls this was for its time.
#2520
I should mention that this was more successful here in Australia than anywhere else in the world, this should explain why the song is so much lower on this list than it was on the Australian side of my site as the kiwis likely didn't find this as titillating as us Aussies upon its initial release. It also wasn't as big in her native UK as it was here either, meaning it's success on Billboard was likely due to its success down under.
#2519
It appears that the two big hits Billy Ocean had in Australia this year had their success reversed in NZ, then again that was also the case in America as this was the bigger hit for Billy on Billboard than his theme to Jewel of the Nile (which is still to come on this list.) Billy would have one more hit after this year worldwide before he faded into obscurity in time for the 90's.
#2518
This proved to be an even bigger hit for the B52's in NZ compared to Australia, although this was the second single from a highly successful album, so this was more due to the kiwis not allowing the album sales to affect its popularity like we Aussies did back in the day. It could also be that the kiwis wanted to hear an entire track devoid of Fred Schneider and just have vocals from Katie Pierson and Cyndi Wilson.
#2517
This was another big hit that Diana Ross had worldwide that failed to appear on the Australian side of my site, I'm guessing because we Aussies weren't interested in hearing her take on a 50's staple like she does on this track. Naturally this was a big hit over in NZ due to her popularity at the time, although it's worth noting her next big hit in either country was much bigger here than it was over there.
#2516
This was the last hit that Roxette had over in NZ, it's a pity because they would continue to find success here in Australia for the next two years before their career died out by appearing on the Super Mario Brothers soundtrack. They were another band that did very well with adapting to the trends of the 90's, even with the lack of success they had in NZ, at least it was still more noteworthy than many of their contemporaries.
#2515
This was the song that brought Tina Turner's career back from the dead given how it was a massive hit in the UK the previous year due to it being produced by the members of Heaven 17 during the height of their popularity in their homeland. Naturally this was a massive flop for her in her native America as her fellow Americans would only allow her to come back with her earlier entry on this list.
#2514
I guess the kiwis did allow "Maria" to become a hit upon its initial release over there as opposed to them needing to bundle it with "Cup of life" like we Aussies did, this was all the incentive that they needed to make this a number one hit over there for Ricky Martin which is often considered to be the song which confirmed the Latin craze as a genuine trend rather than it being a fad like it was earlier in the decade.
#2513
Well given how these guys managed to score massive success in NZ with their previous album two years prior, it seems fitting that this big hit they had here in Australia and the UK of all places managed to be a success over there much sooner than it was in either country. For what it's worth, these guys didn't have any success in their native America with any of their songs likely due to their sense of humour not connecting with their fellow Americans.
#2512
This was also a huge success for Betty Boo in NZ this year, I'm guessing because it was heavily featured in season one of Beverly Hills 90210 (yes, I've seen the show and I agree the episodes are all too long for their own good.) This allowed the British female rapper to have a hit in the southern hemisphere which opened up doors for other female rappers throughout the decade here.
#2511
This was the only hit that the Cars were able to score in NZ, admittedly they were more of an albums band over there which is perhaps why their weakest hit here in Australia became their biggest hit over there in lieu of "Let's go" and "Shake it up." I would've gone for any number of other songs in their catalogue for their biggest hit, but I suppose this isn't a bad representation for their talents.
#2510
This was a huge hit for the American RNB group U.N.V in NZ despite it being a massive flop in their native America, I'm not sure why this was a huge hit over there as there were plenty of RNB groups from America that saw more success than these guys ever did and yet they never crossed over back in the day.
#2509
This is only one of two new appearances from Whitney Houston on the NZ side of my site, it was a hit here in Australia but only a sleeper hit likely because I doubt we Aussies wanted to hear an unknown singer of colour sing a cheating anthem that was originally performed by a married couple. This revelation didn't bother the kiwis as it became her first hit over there as it did in the UK.
#2508
Following the breakup of the Fugees from the previous year, Wyclef Jean decided to embark on a solo career the first of the three rappers which began with this hip hop ballad that became a massive success for him over in NZ. It took a while for us Aussies to give him a solo hit likely because we were on team Lauryn following the trio's breakup, however we eventually gave him one with "Two wrongs" in 2002.
#2507
Whereas this was only barely a hit for Boy George here in Australia this year, it was more of a hit over in NZ despite the fact that Culture club didn't have as much success over there as they did over here back in the day. I guess the kiwis liked the reggae beat on here as I can't imagine this being a success for him due to nostalgia of the original given how that version was a flop (at least according to the Listener charts.)
#2506
Well, this wasn't a chart topper in NZ like it was in most parts of the world, although that didn't mean the kiwis didn't like this duet between Aretha Franklin and George Michael given how it still has a respectable placement on this list of mine. This was Aretha's final hit anywhere in the world, although things would continue to go up for George as he would find further success with his solo material.
#2505
Given that these guys didn't have a hit at the start of the decade as the Tourists, this means that this was the first hit that they had in NZ meaning that this was the kiwis introduction to two of the most prominent artists of the decade in the form of Annie Lennox and David Stewart. This was competing with their debut single over there which also began charting when this was released, however this was obviously the bigger hit in NZ.
#2504
Even though Collette did find success with her version of this track a decade later in her homeland, the kiwis can breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that the original from Anita Ward was the bigger hit over there as opposed to here where they were neck and neck with each other. Anita was another woman of colour to find massive success in the disco scene back in the day like Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer.
#2503
Well, I did mention this guy being able to score a second hit in NZ this year with another cover of an 80's track, this time he takes the Jermaine Jackson track and makes it his own by replacing Pia Zadora with someone named Van Der Toon which was all that needed to be done to allow this to win the kiwis over a second time for the part time singer.
#2502
This was the penultimate big hit that Billy Idol had in NZ, naturally his previous entry on this list was his last big hit over there, although I would've thought he would've had more success going into the 90's considering that "Cradle of love" was a massive success for him in Australia and America.
#2501
In a bit of a weird reversal of his success here in Australia, the kiwis passed up the lead single to his first solo album "Truly" in favour of this more upbeat track from Lionel Richie which in turn allowed the album to reach the upper echelons of their charts this year. The third single from the album "My love" wouldn't even chart in the southern hemisphere, meaning his next hit was his earlier entry on this list.
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